January is National Mentoring Month

 

POSTED ON Jan 07, 2022

 

Earlier this week, the mentoring movement kicked off celebrations for National Mentoring Month in the U.S. According to mentoring dot org, several events are recognized at the national level. They include “I Am A Mentor Day” on January 6, and International Mentoring Day on January 17.

“Thank You Mentor Day” falls on January 27, and the 2022 National Mentoring Summit will be held from January 26-28. Click here to find out how you can engage this National Mentoring Month.

Hispanic Engineer magazine has written a lot of articles about mentoring, but here’s an inspiring story we recently came across on the web.  The Western Governors University profile was first published during Hispanic Heritage Month 2021, featuring College of IT Program Mentor Anna Striedel.

She has worked as an information technology (IT) program mentor for the last seven years at the online university. After enrolling for a master’s degree in management and leadership at WGU Texas, she discovered that she had a learning disability.

“When I decided to return to school for the master’s degree, I wasn’t sure how well I would do with online versus a brick and mortar school,” she told WGU. “As a program mentor, I know there are a lot of great resources I could utilize and that helped me be successful, from my mentor, instructors, student success, and writing centers… “I don’t like to ask for help,” she continued. “But you must take charge of your education, reach out and use those resources, and answer your mentor and instructor calls to be successful.”

Asked how she helps students as a program mentor and WGU grad, she shared this story with WGU:

“Every week I talk with students about their progress, goals, and challenges. I help them brainstorm solutions to problems and offer ideas about how to make progress when time is a challenge. I also point them in the direction of the best resources. Plus, I share my experience with them as a WGU student. I find that many students feel the same way—not wanting to ask for help for various reasons. So, I share my experience in working with my mentor, my instructors, and how the student success and writing centers helped me get through those tough courses.

“Right now, the biggest thing I try to help students with are changes due to the pandemic. Students who are also working from home, trying to keep up with their homes and be parents and teachers to their children, too. I talk to students about finding balance and routines to help them build a solid foundation for success. Usually, the hardest part of school isn’t the material but the time and effort it takes to be successful and the determination to get to the end and graduate. Now, I share my tips as a mentor and as a former student, and as a mom with young children trying to balance teaching them virtually as well.”

Click here to read the full interview.